Gene Kilroy Revisits the Thrilla in Manila 1975

Our Daily News Online

In October 2025, Gene Kilroy, Muhammad Ali’s former business manager, sat down with Sports Bytes Philippines to recount the Thrilla in Manila 1975.  He shared how a Filipino boy’s bucket of ice helped Ali triumph over Joe Frazier — and how Ali and Frazier later made peace. #MuhammadAli #GeneKilroy #ThrillaInManila #SportsBytesPH

Transcript

00:00The clock is ticking, hearts ignite.

00:05Sports Bites, Philippines, we rise.

00:08Through the coast of fields, the skies.

00:11Loud and proud, we chase the prize.

00:16Angelo said he won't be back. I said he'll be back.

00:19And here he comes showing up with the two buckets of ice.

00:23I say, thank God, we just got the edge on the fight.

00:27So we put so much ice on Oli between the rounds, he almost froze to death.

00:33Joe Frazier didn't have any ice, all that heat on him.

00:36And in the end, he was, you know, the last round, Eddie Fudd said to him,

00:41how many fingers are up?

00:43He said, you're not holding any up. Eddie stopped the fight.

00:46Now, I told Oli one thing, when you fight Joe Frazier,

00:52you know where he's going to be on the end of your gloves.

00:56George Foreman, you got to look for him.

00:59Kenny Norton's shy, uppercuts, you know, different fighters, different styles.

01:04But Frazier, he is on the end of your gloves.

01:07You just look out and there he is.

01:11Joe Frazier and I were good friends some years back.

01:15And Joe would tell me, I said, he doesn't mean that what he said.

01:21And Joe said, how would you like your kids going to school?

01:25And they're calling your dad the gorilla.

01:27Your dad's a gorilla.

01:28I said, I rest my case, Your Honor.

01:30But down there, down, I put them back together.

01:33They became friends.

01:34And I went to the funeral of Joe Frazier with Oli.

01:38And the minister got up and spoke.

01:40And he said, down goes Frazier.

01:43Down goes Frazier.

01:45But Oli came by and beat George Foreman.

01:48Up goes Frazier.

01:49And that was it.

01:50You know, but Joe was a good guy.

01:52We went to his funeral.

01:53We have a lot of respect.

01:54They loved each other.

01:56You can't talk about bacon and eggs.

01:59Oli and Frazier.

02:01You know, that's the way it is.

02:03Any time you hear boxing, Oli Frazier.

02:07The big thing was the ice.

02:09Without that, the fight would have been over.

02:11Oli might have got beat.

02:13But, you know, Jerry Eisenberg, the great writer,

02:17he told me, Gene, that was a streak of genius,

02:22you getting that ice.

02:24I said, no, not me.

02:25The guy who brought the ice back.

02:27That was the guy who saved the day.

02:29Not me.

02:30I could have given that money to somebody else's name on

02:32and came back.

02:33But he came back.

02:34And when he came back, I said, thank God,

02:36we're home free now.

02:38So blows the game begins.

02:41Sweat and grit where legends win.

02:44The clock is ticking, hearts ignite.

02:47Sports bites, Philippines, we rise.

02:52Through the course that fills the skies.

02:56Loud and proud we chase the prize.

03:00Sports bites, Philippines, alive.

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended